Feeling Connected...

When you view a movie for the first time, you aren’t always consciously analyzing the film to decipher why a specific shot is used, why a certain camera angle is used and so on. Most of the time one views a movie simply for entertainment. However, if you would decide to watch a movie in pieces, analyzing specific shots or scenes, it is possible that you may be able to take more from the film than just a few laughs or a few shed tears.

I took part in analyzing a specific scene in the Spike Lee film, Do the Right Thing. I analyzed the final scene in which Mookie and Sal are engaged in conversation, arguing about the money and Sal’s Pizzeria.

Through looking at this scene closely, timing each shot, recording the set up of each shot, and looking at each piece in relation to the others, I was able to notice a few different things about this scene. First off all, most of the shots were extremely short. Each shot was only a few seconds long. This was because most of this scene was based on a conversation between Sal and Mookie. Because the shots were very short, it made the viewer feel like they were actively engaged in the conversation. For one second I was Mookie looking at and listening to Sal. The other second I was Sal, listening and looking at Mookie. Many of the shots were also close ups of Mookie and Sal which also actively engaged me in their conversation.

The fact that these shots were so short and frequently switched from character to character allowed for a bit of intensity which was appropriate because the conversation itself was a bit tense. The only time when I felt as if I was taken out of the intensity was when the camera left the individual shots of the two characters and pulled back to a shot of both Mookie and Sal. This I remember quite clearly because I felt like I had left the conversation and was reminded that I was not actually part of their conversation.

In all, I believe the shorts shots and close-ups of Sal and Mookie were extremely effective in creating a conversation in which the viewer could feel a close connection to. Many of the other shots followed the characters’ movements as well. One shot in particular is a shot of Mookie picking up money that Sal threw at him. The shot follows Mookie from behind, almost ‘bending over’ with Mookie as he picks up the money. I think this shot is really great because I remember kind of being confused while I was watching this shot but realizing what was happening and feeling even more connected to the conversation and what was going on between Mookie and Sal.

The short intense shots throughout this scene made the scene between Mookie and Sal more appealing to the viewer in that they could become actively involved in the conversation. However, it also effectively pulled the viewer away so that the viewer could remember that they were not actually a part of the conversation. When you view a movie in its entirety, you do not always catch why a particular scene or shot is used the way it is used. You do not always catch the intentions of the director. However, when you are able to analyze a small portion of the film and really look at how it is constructed, you may find something more to the movie or feel more of a connection and know the reasons why you may feel that connection.